labor unions

Debunking ILA dockworkers’ claims about carrier price gouging

The International Longshoremen’s Association is justifying the shutdown of freight ports along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts and trying to sway public opinion against government intervention by characterizing shipping lines as price-gouging foreign companies unwilling to boost workers’ wages despite raking in record profits to justify.

Ocean carriers have jacked up freight rates five-fold in recent weeks to $30,000 per container, contributing to inflation that is hurting American consumers,  the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/debunking-ila-dockworkers-claims-about-carrier-price-gouging

Check Call: Oh we got trouble, right here in River City

The Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the event of the fall. Subscribers to Check Call have a special discount code for F3 registration. This is going to be one of the best deals on F3 tickets. Use the code CheckCallF324 or go to this link, and the discount will be applied. There is no better party than a Chattanooga party. This is not one to miss.

(GIF: GIPHY)

Oh we got trouble, right here in River City, if River City is the fourth quarter of the year. The trouble in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-oh-we-got-trouble-right-here-in-river-city

Longshoremen strike could hit hybrid port operations in Georgia, North Carolina

A looming East and Gulf Coast dockworker strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association could be detrimental even to cargo container ports in right-to-work states such as Georgia and North Carolina, experts said.

Talks between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance, which negotiates on behalf of management of the ports, terminals and shipping lines, have stalled. No new contract talks have been scheduled.

The six-year ILA master contract covering about 25,000 dockworkers and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/longshoremen-strike-could-hit-hybrid-port-operations-in-georgia-north-carolina

TIA calls for resolution to ILA labor dispute as holiday season nears

With the International Longshoremen’s Association’s readiness to strike at its highest in over a decade, the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) has called for an urgent resolution to the labor dispute between union workers and their employers at the East and Gulf Coast ports.

In a news release published Wednesday by TIA, the organization for third-party logistics professionals stated that the looming threat of a strike by ILA members could disrupt the critical holiday shopping...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tia-calls-for-resolution-to-ila-labor-dispute-as-holiday-season-nears

ILA readiness to strike highest since 2012

A FreightWaves article on Tuesday discussed the circumstances leading to the International Longshoremen’s Association’s (ILA) last multicoast strike in 1977. We noted how the ILA — which represents dockworkers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts — is one of the less strike-prone unions in the industry. 

That the ILA tends to favor timely resolutions over walkouts is all the more obvious when it is compared to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ila-readiness-to-strike-highest-since-2012

Potential port strike has retailers, manufacturers scrambling

Retailers and manufacturers are seeking to mitigate a potentially multibillion-dollar hit if members of the International Longshoremen’s Association go on strike beginning Oct. 1 at 13 of the nation’s major East Coast and Gulf Coast ports.

The contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance, which negotiates on behalf of management of the ports, terminals and shipping lines, is due to expire at midnight on Sept. 30. The contract covers 25,000 workers and ports stretching from...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/potential-port-strike-has-retailers-manufacturers-scrambling

Half a century later, ILA returns to strike mode

The threat of a multicoast strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) could soon become a reality.

The current labor contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expires at the end of September, with the ILA maintaining that it will not accept any extension of the contract nor any potential mediation by the federal government.

In other words, the ILA is set to swap pallet jacks for picket signs come Oct. 1.

The ILA represents roughly 70,000 dockworkers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/half-a-century-later-ila-returns-to-strike-mode

Cargo shipments face delays if Air Canada pilots go on strike 

Air cargo shipments will be halted on Sept. 19 at Air Canada if pilots follow through on a threat to strike without a new labor deal.

The airline on Monday said it is finalizing contingency plans for a phased shutdown of most operations.

Talks between the company and the Air Line Pilots Association, representing more than 5,200 pilots at Air Canada (TSX: AC) and Air Canada Rouge, are stalled and the parties remain far apart on contract terms. Unless an agreement is reached by Sunday, either party...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cargo-shipments-face-delays-if-air-canada-pilots-go-on-strike

Mexico Borderlands: Volkswagen autoworkers fired for union activities, say US officials

U.S. trade authorities have filed a labor complaint with Mexico over allegations that a Volkswagen assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico, unfairly fired union activists.

The complaint filed by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office Tuesday follows an April 25 petition filed by 10 fired workers who allege Volkswagen Mexico violated the workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights at the plant, the country’s largest and longest-operating auto factory.

“Retaliating against workers for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/volkswagen-mexico-autoworkers-fired-for-union-activities-say-us-officials

Power struggle within FedEx pilots union upsets contract talks

In a surprise maneuver last week, a rebel group of FedEx Express pilots forced union leadership to break off contract negotiations by requesting that federal authorities release the parties from mediation before the company could even respond to its latest counteroffer.

The petition to the National Mediation Board (NMB) went against advice from Air Line Pilots Association staff and the union’s governing body at FedEx’s airline, exposing the extent of union infighting that has continued since a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/power-struggle-within-fedex-pilots-union-upsets-contract-talks

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